Presented By: Veronica Comia-Melo, RMT, MBAMemory is incredibly important for productivity in the workplace, but have you ever wondered how it actually works? Its a complicated process that goes through many steps, and it involves many parts of your brain being used for a bunch of different types of memory.THE STROOP EFFECTTHE STROOP EFFECTTHE STROOP EFFECTWhat causes the Stroop Effect?Overlearned name that word reading response competes with unfamiliar name that ink task.The effect is related to the ability of mostpeople to read wordsmore quickly andautomatically than they can name colors.If a word is displayed in a color differentfromthe color it actually names.John Ridley Stroop Directed attention - manage our thoughts byinhibiting one response in order to say or dosomething else. Allows us to voluntarily manage the focus ofour thoughts. It is useful in our effort to remaineffective, productive, clearheaded and helpful. We can use it to inhibit the power of certainfeatures of the immediate physical and socialenvironment, as well as internal distractions,so as to allowconsideration of less salient butnonetheless valued information.VISUAL SEARCH Lookingfor atarget inadisplaycontainingdistracting elements. Target: The Goal of Visual Search Distractor: Any stimulus other than the target Set Size: The no. of items in a visual displayThe brain processes information about an objects importance in two ways: bottom-up and top-down. In bottom-up processing, the brain weighs an objects importance based on its inherent characteristics.Greater importance is assigned to features that signify something noteworthy, such as sudden movements, unusual color patterns, and strange shapes. In top-down processing, the brain weighs anobjects importance based on previousexperience for instance, discounting brightlycolored shirts in a crowded train while lookingfor the door. Researchers foundbottom-upprocesses arefaster than the more effort-intensive top-downones.SPATIAL RESOLUTION & ATTENTIONIn order to scrutinize a particular item, forexample, toreport itsidentityandpickout itsfeatures and actions, it is first necessary toindividuate it.This individuation is one of the core operationsof attention, and it plays many roles in perception.For example, individuation of an itemis necessaryinorder toencodeits locationandtrackitsposition over time.SPATIAL RESOLUTION & ATTENTIONCHANGE BLINDNESS & SELECTIVE ATTENTIONChange blindness is a surprising perceptualphenomenonthatoccurs whenachangeinavisual stimulus is introducedandtheobserverdoes not notice it.For example, observers often fail to notice majordifferences introduced into an image while itflickers andonagain. People's poor abilitytodetect changes has been argued to reflectfundamental limitations of human attention.CHANGE BLINDNESS & SELECTIVE ATTENTIONSelective Attention:In any busy scene, be it a classroomor afreeway,its virtually impossible to note everything at once.What a person pays attention to in thesecircumstances is what they select to pay attentionto.Selectedattentioncanthenbeviewedas theprocess bywhichpeoplefindsomethinguponwhich to concentrate, and the level ofconcentration they can continue to exert asdistractions arise.How to Improve Attention to Detail1. Get organized. You will need tohaveorganizationinyour lifetoeven have a hope of payingattention to the small things. Thismeans having organization in yourwork or school life, keeping track ofappointments and tasks that needtobeaccomplishedsothat youaren't surprised when it'stimetoturn themin.How to Improve Attention to Detail2. Make lists. Lists are one reallyuseful way to be organized and tomake sure that you knowwhen andhoweverything needs to cometogether. You'll be less likely to losetrack of the details when you havethem written out and keptsomewhere that you see every dayHow to Improve Attention to Detail3. Keep to a specific schedule. Ifyou're runningaroundwillynillyand each day is a different mess oftimes and items, try to sort it into aroutine that follows that samegeneral rhythm. Your brain will bequicker to notice when you'vedropped the ball on a detail thanwhen each day is a hodgepodge ofdifferent things.How to Improve Attention to Detail4. Limit distractions. Distractionscomeinavariety offorms: yourfamily, your friends, that annoyingcoworkerwhowon'tstoptalking,everything ever on the internet,evenbeinghungry. Whenyou'redistracted and you're trying to payattention to the details of a projector your homework, you're not goingto be able to recall things as easilyand you're more likely to forget thedetails.How to Improve Attention to Detail5. Don't multitask. Multitaskingspreads your attention out over avariety of items instead of focusingit ontoonespecific item, whichmeans that you end up unable togive full attention to each itemandyouwon't beabletoget all thedetails in order.How to Improve Attention to Detail6. Get exercise. Exercisehelpsimprove your memoryandyourconcentrationabilities while alsobeing good for your whole body. Tohelp improve your attention to thedetailsand to keep your memorystrong, you'll want to engage in atleast 30 minutes of exercise eachday.How to Improve Attention to Detail7. Take breaks. Agoodwaytokeep your brain sharp and willing tofocuson the smaller detailsistoallow it to take breaks. Make surethat you schedule themaround thesame time each day and try for 10to 15 minutes each. This will giveyour brain a chance to relax in timefor the next project.Using Attention Improving Exercises1. Practice using memorycards. Therearegoodways topractice paying attention to thedetails sothat your brainstayssharp and engaged. One of thesewaysisby usingmemory cards.You'll gather a group of pairs (startsmall, maybe 8-10 pairs) and placethemface side down. Flip one over,look at it, and turn it face side downonce more. Each time you find apair, remove it fromthe game.Using Attention Improving Exercises2. Use " what's wrong with thispicture" puzzles. These ones areinanychildren's magazineever.The child-level ones are prettyeasy, but you can easily find onesthat are for an older set and aremore difficult. The more youpracticethesepuzzlesthebetteryou'll find that you are payingattention to other details.Using Attention Improving Exercises3. Hone your mathskills. Mathematicsare a subjectthatrequirealotof attentiontodetail (after all, if youget onenumberwrongthewholeanswerendsup being wrong) and are agreat way to improve your attentionto detail.Using Attention Improving Exercises4. Memorize an image. Lookclosely at a scene (you can do thisanywhere: at work, on the bus, at acoffee shop) and, closing youreyes, recall as many details aboutthe scene as you possibly can. Themore you practice the better andmore attentive to the details you'llbecome.Using Attention Improving Exercises5. Learn to meditate. Meditation issomething that is incredibly usefulfor a wide variety of things. It canhelp you with your physical health,your mental health, and it can helpyouwithyour memoryandyourattention to detail, by calming yourmind and by reducing your stress(it helpsput yourbrainonmorepositive neuro-pathways).